This Blood That Stains My Hands: Part Two
by Anwa
Summary: Sometimes we must find our own answers to life's little questions. And sometimes, even if you find that answer, it's still not good enough (continuation) ON HOLD
1. Only a Fool can Understand

  
  
THIS BLOOD THAT STAINS MY HANDS: PART TWO  
  
"Everyone has to find their own reason." (Cloud, FFVII)  
  
Sometimes the nights seemed unbearable. He felt so cold, so alone. Like he would never see the sunrise again. But then, by some miracle, it would come. Those warm colors would mix, but they didn't look happy to him anymore, they were sad. In fact, a lot of things started to have that effect.  
  
The fellowship had ended, but he, Gimli, and Aragorn had managed to stay together. It seemed a lot of friends were leaving him nowadays.  
  
He had changed somewhat in the past months, he walked slower now, and he hardly ever spoke unless need be. He didn't laugh so much anymore, and when the time came for him to laugh, the joy would only last for a short while. Then the pain would come back again.  
  
He had grown up. It took him awhile to realize it, but he knew he wasn't the same anymore. He was lacking. Lacking what, he wasn't sure, but he felt incomplete somehow. He guessed that was the part where Nessa fit in, anyways.  
  
  
  
He stood silently overlooking the city in front of him. Rohan, the city even reeked a depression so strong it could turn the happiest man alive into a wreck. He just stood there, thinking back to Mirkwood. It was sad, though, that every time his mind strayed, it would stray to her. And he couldn't help but wonder what she was doing at that moment. If she was thinking about him, or if she had found someone to be the true love of her life, while he sat there waiting like a dog for her to come back.  
  
"I am a fool," he mumbled to himself, uncrossing his arms and throwing them into the air, trying to catch the breeze.  
  
"Master elf?"  
  
Legolas turned to face Lady Eowyn, King Theoden's niece, walking over to him.  
  
"I'm sorry, I hate to intrude, but you seem a bit, oh how shall I say this, aloof?"  
  
Legolas smiled faintly, looking down at his feet, "yes, aloof, that's probably the best way of putting it. An aloof fool."  
  
"Pardon my questions, but why a fool, Master elf?"  
  
He sighed, "have you ever been in love, milady?"  
  
She looked at him strangely, "no, no, not anything binding, I would say."  
  
He shook his head, "then you cannot understand the ramblings of a fool, until you become one yourself." He turned back around, facing the city again.  
  
Eowyn stood there bewildered by the elf's cryptic answer, if you could call it an answer. She just stood there, staring at him, unsure of what do to. She didn't want to push the matter, but a part of her wanted to understand.  
  
"Lady Eowyn, you cannot force yourself to understand, but trust me, someday you will." He said into the wind, still feeling her presence behind him.  
  
"What's her name?" She said boldly, still yearning to understand.  
  
"Nessa," he whispered, closing his eyes and envisioning her, "her name is Nessa."  
  
"Is she your wife?"  
  
Legolas shook his head, "no, no, not a wife."  
  
Eowyn smiled, "Master elf, I would have never guessed you to be such a romantic," she walked over beside him confidently.  
  
Legolas smiled, amused, "a romantic? No. Just a fool."  
  
"A fool. You keep saying that so loosely, why a fool?"  
  
"And you keep asking that question, and I will tell you the same answer, only a fool can understand a fool's ramblings."  
  
"What did she look like? Was she beautiful?"  
  
He closed his eyes again, seeing her face, "she was plain, but in a beautiful sort of way. Inner beauty, I think that is what they call it, inner beauty."  
  
Eowyn nodded, trying to picture this she-elf in her mind, "do you miss her?"  
  
He nodded, feeling choked up again, "everyday," he whispered, "everyday."  
  
"Why journey away from her, if you miss her so?"  
  
He turned to her, forcing a faint smile, "she was the one that journeyed away from me." Then he turned away from, walking back inside of the hall.  
  
"Master elf!" She called after him, still wanting to understand.  
  
He smiled somberly, "you are still young, milady, really a child in my eyes, I cannot make you understand. Understanding comes with time, and time does not come without loss."  
  
Legolas walked inside Theoden's great hall, eyeing it in wonder. This place was so different from his home, and he felt like a giddy elfling again pretending to be on some whirlwind adventure. Then it would hit him, he really was on an adventure, he really was far away from home.  
  
He remembered back to when he was an elfling, when he would journey out in the forest with friends, and play and play until they had worn themselves out so that they would collapse on the ground. They would always pretend they were off far away, battling evil, staging elaborate battle scenes, but this, this was far different then what he had imagined as an elfling. This world, this adventure, was so much colder then anything he could have ever imagined.  
  
But then again, the world was so much simpler then.  
  
He took a seat on one of the many chairs that lined the halls, resting his head back, and closing his eyes. He was tired. They all were. Raging war took a lot out of an elf, or anyone for that matter. He felt his mind drifting again, thinking about this and that, and eventually her.  
  
"Legolas," he felt a soft poking in his upper right shoulder, "Legolas," the voice said a bit more impatiently, "you're leaving again."  
  
His eyes shot open, "she's a hard she-elf to keep off my mind," he whispered.  
  
Aragorn frowned on his friend, "Legolas, you cannot just sit there and mope. If you love her as much as you say you do, then you'll understand."  
  
"It's not that I don't understand, I just don't want to."  
  
"That's being childish, Legolas."  
  
He looked over to his friend, "how would you feel if Arwen left you suddenly?"  
  
Aragorn frowned, "stop changing the subject."  
  
He smiled, "you would wait for her, you would become just like me. Don't deny it."  
  
"Then you admit it? You hold on to false hope, my friend."  
  
Legolas nodded, "I know what I am holding on to," he looked away from his friend and across the hall, "it's the same thing that she holds on to." He noted his head towards the Lady Eowyn, "she seems quite taken with you, Aragorn."  
  
Aragorn shook his head, "she does not love me."  
  
Legolas nodded, "she does, but she does not know it yet."  
  
"You sound like an idiot," Aragorn teased.  
  
"Ah, but a very perceptive idiot."  
  
Aragorn smiled, "just please, remember what I said about Nessa. She's gone, Legolas, and I don't think she's coming back."  
  
Legolas looked back to his friend, "no, no, you're wrong. Nessa will come back."  
  
"Legolas,"  
  
He held up his hand, "Nessa will come back, whether as a friend or lover is yet to be decided. But she will come back."  
  
Aragorn sighed, "you place too much faith in this she-elf of yours."  
  
Legolas shook his head, "and you place too little."  
  
  
  
The day had ended once again, the world slowly drifting into darkness, but sleep couldn't find him again. Legolas walked the halls of Rohan, then moved outside to gaze at the moon. It was getting harder and harder for him to find sleep anymore, but he dare not tell. Aragorn had his best interests in mind, yes, but his friend did not understand why yet. Why he had to hold on.  
  
He sat down, leaning against the one of the walls nearest to him, his eyes never leaving the moon. He began to sing to himself in his native tongue, closing his eyes and whispering softy the words.  
  
"Master elf? You're going to wear yourself out like that, from the nights you have been here, I have never seen you sleep once." Legolas's eyes shot open, looking over to where Eowyn spoke. She stood there, her arms at her side, and a soft smile on her lips.  
  
"I might say the same, Lady Eowyn, for you too have not slept."  
  
She jumped back a little, "what?" She asked, surprised that he could have known.  
  
Legolas smiled, amused, "you have never met an elf before, I take it."  
  
She shook her head, "but, how did you know that I have not slept?"  
  
"First, you walk around rather loud, and second, how could you have known I was not sleeping if you too weren't."  
  
She smiled, "then elves aren't as magical as some might say."  
  
He shook his head, "no, no, I did not say that. There are some elves, with, shall I say gifts. Lord Elrond, of Rivendell, has the gift of foresight, for example. And I am sure you have heard of the Lady of the Golden Wood? Lady Galadriel, she too has a gift."  
  
Eowyn nodded, "I saw you and Lord Aragorn talking, earlier today, why did you look over at me?"  
  
Legolas smiled, "do you always pry into other's lives, milady?"  
  
"Oh, forgive me, Master elf, I mean not to offend."  
  
Legolas held up his hand, "no, you do not offend. You just have a lot of questions, milady."  
  
She smiled, "my brother, Eomer, used to hate that about me. He said that he could never get a moment's peace with me around."  
  
He smiled, "you miss your brother very much, don't you?"  
  
She nodded, "I do not know where he is, and if he'll ever come back. It worries me."  
  
Legolas nodded, "do not worry, milady, your brother will come back. He has not betrayed Rohan, and he will not betray you."  
  
Eowyn nodded, "it's just unnerving, I guess."  
  
"Are you not a fighter, milady. I saw you speaking with Aragorn earlier, with that sword of yours. I would think a warrior would understand."  
  
She smiled, "ah yes, I should shouldn't I?" She eyed the elf with amusement, watching him as he returned his gaze back to the moon.  
  
"So why don't you sleep, Master elf?"  
  
He tilted his head down, looking away from the moon, "sleep doesn't come to me anymore. I need not force it."  
  
She nodded, "is it because of the she-elf you spoke of earlier?"  
  
He shrugged, "maybe, or maybe it's because I fear sleep."  
  
"How can you fear sleep?"  
  
"Not the action of sleeping, but what comes to you in sleep. Memories. Maybe I just fear memories."  
  
She nodded, somewhat understanding what the elf was saying. For some people memories were often sad, and hard to bear. This elf was so unlike any other person she had ever met, his words intrigued her, made her want to understand more. All of the three companions that were visiting intrigued her for that matter.  
  
The dwarf, Gimli, with his hardy heart and gruff voice, he always had something to say about everything. Always had a story to tell, and something to laugh about.  
  
The man, Aragorn, was an entirely different matter, though. She felt herself drawn to him more then the others. He had a sort of rugged element to him that made him so different then all the other men she knew.  
  
And then the elf, Legolas, she found easy to talk to, like an old friend. He seemed a bit more distant then the others, and she usually saw him standing outside, looking off somewhere.  
  
Yes, three very different companions, that was for sure. Three very different friends.  
  
  
  
Please Review. 


	2. Life's Little Lessons

Okay, here is how I have figured out to write this fic. It's a little different then any other fic that I have written, so please bear with me.  
  
Each chapter will follow either Nessa or Legolas (alternating chapters), but you have to remember that time is still going on with the other character, so (in Legolas's case especially) events will be skipped, summarized, but skipped. (i.e. I have no intention of covering the battle of Helm's Deep, but everything happens just like it did in the books/movie)  
  
Thanks for all the support you guys have been giving me on these fics! (You guys are too kind ::blushes::)  
  
  
  
She didn't cry so much anymore. It wasn't like she meant to cry so much in the first place, but she just couldn't stop the tears from coming. It had been awhile now, since she left Rivendell, she had managed to travel a little, but it grew boring the long nights riding alone. She missed the laughter. So she settled down in Gondor of all places, making a small home for herself inside the city's white walls.  
  
Men weren't exactly excited to have a she-elf in their home, but they noticed that her presence there was more ghostly then anything else. She was just always there, not speaking, just an ever constant presence. She had grown quiet over time, just thinking more then anything else.  
  
But she still couldn't find the words to go back to him. Couldn't find the answer. The reason.  
  
But then again, what did love have to do with reason? She would watch the young mortal couples walking through the city, and couldn't think of a single reason why they should be together, and yet, there they were in love. Some couples she would see fight and fight, day after day, but they always found a way to make up. She just didn't understand it anymore. Everything used to make so much sense, but now, now nothing matched up anymore.  
  
She walked slower now, just walking, never having anywhere of importance to run to. Her eyes were distant, no longer cheery and optimistic, but rather sad in all their complexities. Her eyes spoke of her pain, and yet in all their sorrow, they also spoke of determination. A determination so strong that not even the end of the world could bring about her giving up.  
  
And with that in mind, she walked forward in life, still looking for answers.  
  
  
  
She rocked gently in her chair, watching again as the people passed. She hadn't left her chair in several hours, and even on the rare occasion that she left, she was never gone for long. With a heavy sigh, she cast her writings on to the crude table to her right, closing her eyes and leaning her head back. Allowing her mind to return to those happy moments, a faint smile forming on her pale lips.  
  
Then she heard a soft cracking noise, and the light tapping of footsteps coming towards her. Her elven senses kicked in, listening to the person approach. Nessa lifted her head back up, to see a small child standing in front of her, "you need not be afraid of me, little one," she smiled, noting the child's fear.  
  
She was tall for a child, tall and lanky. Her messy brown hair fell in tangles around her slender face, and her dress was tattered and dirty. Her eyes though, her eyes were full of fire and spirit. She stood sort of cowered back, a noticeable fear in her stance.  
  
"I'm not afraid!" She said defiantly, taking another small step forwards shakily.  
  
Nessa nodded, "of course not, forgive me, little one," she said suppressing a laugh. Even children now would not admit to their fears, everyone had to be fearless, or they were considered cowards. When the fact of the matter was that everyone, no matter what age or race, was afraid of something.  
  
She crossed her arms, "and I'm not little! I'm almost seven and a half years old."  
  
Nessa smiled, "really, that old?"  
  
She nodded, "how old are you?"  
  
Nessa squinted in thought, "well, I'd say about one thousand, two hundred, and twenty eight years old, give or take a year." She smiled, seeing the little girl's reaction to her age.  
  
"Wow! My mommy said that people couldn't live to be that old!" The little girl stepped closer to her, her eyes wide with shock and amazement.  
  
Nessa smiled, "well I'm special, I'm an elf," she paused, then narrowing her eyes asked, "have you ever met an elf before?"  
  
She shook her head, walking over to Nessa and taking a seat by her feet, "what's an elf?" She asked innocently looking up at Nessa intently.  
  
"Well, we're a different race of people, and we can live forever and ever," she said smiling.  
  
"Wow, really? That's a really long time!"  
  
She nodded, "it sure is!"  
  
"That would be so neat if I could live forever and ever!" She smiled happily, then with some thought added, "but don't you get bored?"  
  
"Not if you have friends to spend the time with!"  
  
"Don't you have any friends?"  
  
"Of course I do!" Nessa laughed, "I just needed a little time alone right now, everyone needs that every once in awhile."  
  
"But don't you miss them?"  
  
Nessa nodded, "of course I do!"  
  
"Then why leave them?"  
  
Nessa smiled, "it is complicated, little one."  
  
"Stop calling me that."  
  
"I'm sorry, little one, it is a bad habit of mine."  
  
"You did it again."  
  
Nessa smiled, "then what shall I call you?"  
  
"How about my name, that usually works for most people."  
  
"But what is your name?"  
  
"Alannis," she smiled, "after my great grandmother."  
  
Nessa nodded, "well my name's Nessa, and I am glad to have met you, Alannis." She smiled happily, glad again to spend time with a child. For some reason she was strangely comforted by their presence, and it had been so long since she had talked to a child.  
  
  
  
In the weeks that followed, Alannis came and visited Nessa often, letting her forget for a moment about everything. But every time Alannis would come, her mother would come and call her within a few short hours, always giving Nessa a short of look of disgust, but the two never spoke.  
  
This went on for several weeks, Alannis would visit with more and more questions about elves, the outside world, about herself, about everything. And Nessa would tell Alannis story after story, even reciting some of the stories from books that she remembered.  
  
But then, in the mist of this friendship, Alannis did not come on one afternoon, instead her mother came to Nessa's doorstep. She sat rocking in her chair, smiling at her new visitor, a sort of forced smile but a smile non the less. She knew better then to greet this woman with open arms.  
  
"Lady elf, I believe you have filled my daughter's head with enough nonsense!" She said hoarsely glaring at Nessa with hate, "we have welcomed you into our city, and have given you no problems. Why do you poison my daughter's mind?"  
  
"I am sorry that you feel that way, I tell her nothing but what she asks of me," Nessa just sat there, rocking in her chair.  
  
The woman rolled her eyes, "then why does my daughter come home with fabled stories of great halls, heroic deeds, and epic adventures?" She said skeptically, crossing her arms over her chest, "lies," she hissed.  
  
"Not all lies, milady. I have been in great halls, and met elves and men who have been on heroic and epic adventures. All I do is recite their triumphs to your daughter, they deserve to be celebrated."  
  
"And what have they done? The world is crumbling, and we sit on the edge here."  
  
Nessa smiled faintly, "a rather pessimistic view, milady."  
  
"I don't see you sitting on a ray of sunshine yourself, lady elf," she snorted.  
  
"Then maybe we have more in common then you have over looked," Nessa looked at the mortal woman in front of her, her eyes eating through the woman's, trying to see her soul. She had heard once that you could see someone's soul through their eyes, and she hadn't believed it, until she had met Legolas. His eyes had always given him away.  
  
"Why don't you go back to your own kind?" She said with disgust, a sort of hate that was neither a opinion or a thought out hate. It was a learned hate.  
  
"Why do you hate change, milady?" Nessa stayed calm, getting under the women's skin, making her think for a second. "Maybe I came here, because I wanted to be away from my own kind."  
  
"I do not hate change, but you know as well I as do that you do not belong here."  
  
Nessa nodded somberly, "yes, I know don't belong, I have never tried to either."  
  
"Then why come? Why bother with all this nonsense!"  
  
"Why do you hate me so, milady? You haven't spoken a word to me before, yet you came here with it set in your mind that you hate me. In fact, your daughter has been the only one to talk to me since I came here."  
  
"My daughter is young, she doesn't understand how the world works yet. Elves and men don't mix."  
  
Nessa smiled faintly, remembering back to Rivendell for a moment. To Arwen, and the mortal man that she loved, "I know of a man, a ranger, or so I am told, and the Evenstar, it seems they do not see that problem, milady, why should we? Why teach your daughter to hate like this?"  
  
"You ask a lot of questions, lady elf," she said gruffly, avoiding the questions being asked.  
  
"That is what I came here for, to think. Thinking involves asking questions, milady."  
  
"Then why come here? Where you aren't wanted. Go and think some place else, among your own kin."  
  
Nessa smiled, "because then I won't have my opinions swayed. Here people don't talk to me who would try to sway my opinions. Here, the only person who will dare speak to me is your daughter."  
  
The woman rolled her eyes, "whatever your reason is, I would suggest leaving, lady elf. Live alone if you have to, but this world just isn't meant for elves and men to mix."  
  
"What about the old alliance?"  
  
"That died with the old war," she mumbled walking away from Nessa.  
  
Nessa watched the woman go, her walk quick and her back slumped over. Gondor wasn't exactly a paradise, the woman was right, and it was beginning to reflect in the people. They were always dressed in black, and she barely ever saw them smile. But they were still proud.  
  
She had seen the army, all dressed in their shiny silver armor riding on those well taken care of steeds. They were a proud city, and they weren't yet defeated. They still had the spirit of the fight.  
  
Maybe the woman was right, she wasn't exactly finding the answers she had wanted here. In fact, she hadn't found them anywhere. Love was just something that you couldn't understand. That's what she learned.  
  
  
  
Okay guys, a little explanation time on the reason for the two separate parts. The first part really covers how Legolas and Nessa met, it's a happier/light-hearted/fun little romance. But this part is a little darker/depressing (as I'm sure you guys have noticed) romance. The characters have grown up in between the two fics, and I really felt like it deserved two separate parts instead of the whole flash-forward thing.  
  
All right, I'm done now. Updates will be up as soon as I can get them up.  
  
Please Review. 


	3. Thoughts and Such

Okay, sorry, but I lied in the last chapter. This one is going to be on both Legolas and Nessa, but it will be separated! I promise! Pinky swear!  
  
Heh, heh, sorry this has taken me so long to get up. I have had a lot distractions recently, and then with my story being removed I couldn't unload anything new and I wasn't exactly in the best of all places with the site. All I have to say is I'm sorry and there is a full expiation and apology in my profile.  
  
So I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please reviews would be awesome.  
  
  
  
Legolas walked along the ruff landscape in front of the infamous Helm's Deep. So much had happened in so little of time, but one picture still replayed in his mind. Another memory to haunt him. Haldir had fallen, right before his eyes, and he could do nothing. He knew this would come, this journey was to be full of death, but it was still hard to take.  
  
And he knew sleep would forsake him longer now.  
  
"I'm sorry for your loss, Legolas," Gimli's gruff voice came up from behind him, "he may have been an elf," he smiled, "but I think I'm starting to warm up to your kin."  
  
Legolas smiled, "alas, my friend, I think I may just have to admit I'm starting to warm up to caves too."  
  
Gimli laughed, "caves! I just said that I was wrong and you say you like caves!"  
  
Legolas shook his head, "I did not say that I liked caves," he smiled, "I said I was starting to warm up to the idea of caves."  
  
Gimli laughed, "we need to find you a lady-elf, or else I fear the worst for you!"  
  
Legolas fell silent, a frown forming over his lips. He looked away from Gimli, off into the distance again, "a lady-elf," he said sadly, "so that I may stop being such a fool."  
  
Gimli stopped laughing, "have I said something to upset you?"  
  
Legolas shook his head, "no, no, it's nothing, Gimli."  
  
He nodded skeptically, "if you say so, Legolas."  
  
"I'm sure Aragorn will want to leave soon, we should head back, I wouldn't want to be on his bad side," Legolas smiled faintly, changing the subject and walking back into the fortress.  
  
Gimli nodded, "Aragorn is quite the character," he mused following behind the elf.  
  
They left within the hour, a large party of them headed to Isengaurd, finding the hobbits Merry and Pippin smoking and eating to their hearts' contents. Treebeard had taken over management of Isengaurd, as Merry and Pippin had relayed, apparently the trees waging war against the wizard for destroying their home.  
  
Gimli later swore he was going to kill the Hobbit's sooner or later.  
  
And with both of the Hobbit's in tow, the group headed back for Rohan were the city was in celebration over their victory at Helm's Deep.  
  
"Master elf! Come, join the party!" Eomer patted the elf roughly on the back, trying to get Legolas to come back inside, "my sister tells me that you are always standing out here, I think it is time that you come back in."  
  
Legolas smiled, "ah, horse master, are we always such a poet?"  
  
"What?" Eomer looked at him confused, all he tried to do was come up with encouraging words and the elf was calling him a 'poet'.  
  
Legolas laughed lightly, lowering his head, "it's nothing. And I will come inside in a little while, but somethings not right."  
  
"What?"  
  
Legolas looked back up towards the night's sky, "there are things that only elves can see," he stated blankly not wanting to discuss with the man about matters of the somewhat failed quest.  
  
Eomer nodded, "I shall fetch Aragorn, he shall know of what you speak," Eomer turned and headed back in to the large hall leaving Legolas alone again.  
  
Legolas's eyes trained back up towards the stars, waiting for Aragorn to come out. He didn't understand this celebration anyways, they should be mourning the dead, not celebrating them. It just didn't sit right with him to begin with, and to top it all off he had forgotten the point of celebration to begin with.  
  
Then he felt Aragorn's calming presence besides him, "smoke rises from the east," he said calmly not bothering to look at him.  
  
Aragorn looked out to the direction of Legolas's undying stare, a mix of curiosity and fear filling his eyes.  
  
Legolas turned to face his friend, his eyes wide making his point very clear, "the enemy is moving."  
  
Aragorn nodded, and they stood in the dark, silent for a moment, "we need time."  
  
"We never have time, Aragorn," Legolas reminded him, "even Frodo knows that."  
  
Aragorn smiled faintly, "then we shall give him time."  
  
Legolas nodded in understanding, "for Frodo," he whispered faintly.  
  
"Come, my friend, you stand in the shadows too often. Forget the past, and come live in the present." He jerked his head back to indicate the party, "and you were right, about Eowyn that is."  
  
Legolas smiled sadly, "the last party that I went to, my Atar hosted it, and I brought her." He shallowed hard thinking back to that night, "I brought her to introduce her to him. Get his approval, in a way I guess." He stood there for a moment, then added with a smile, "and I always knew I was right about Eowyn, she especially gave herself away when you died on us. And the fact that I am never wrong."  
  
Aragorn put a hand on his friend's shoulder, ignoring their side conversation about Eowyn and moving on to more pressing matters, "as I said, it is best for you not to dwell in the past."  
  
Legolas nodded, "I know I shouldn't," he smiled faintly, "but the happiest I have ever been was when I was with her. So those memories are not of sad times, and I'd rather go to a place where I find warmth and not this bitter cold."  
  
"Warmth?" Aragorn said not convinced, "Legolas, you have to forget about Nessa, she is not coming back. You are just setting yourself up for more pain, and I hate to see you do this to yourself." He stated bluntly, "I know how hard it must be for you, but, Legolas, it just wasn't meant to be."  
  
Legolas shook his head, "you don't understand, Aragorn, you were always the one to leave. You never stayed around long enough to see what it does to someone."  
  
Aragorn lowered his head, "it is not the same," he said bitterly.  
  
"Aragorn, I think back to those times because they are happy memories, though the happiness is bittersweet now, they're all I have left." He looked over at his friend who stared out blankly into the darkness, "I know that I may not be the same anymore, Aragorn, but that should be expected. I'll get better, it will just take a little while, my friend. These things do not happen over night, and until that time comes, I will hold on to my hope," he paused and added softly, "even if it is false hope."  
  
Aragorn nodded, "that is your decision, my friend. I cannot change your mind, no matter my opinion." He said sadly. It was hard watching a friend implode. It made it even harder standing by and watching his self-inflicted pain without being able to do a thing to help ease the pain. Or even make it disappear.  
  
Legolas nodded, "have you learned nothing of me?" He smiled, his demeanor changing again.  
  
Aragorn smiled, "yes, you and your stubborn behavior. I always thought your Atar was going to kill you one of these days."  
  
Legolas laughed, "he probably will be the end of me."  
  
"Legolas, I think that you will be the end of you," Aragorn laughed.  
  
"And how so?"  
  
He shook his head, "you aren't exactly the most cautious among elves, my friend."  
  
Legolas shrugged, "it's not my fault, you corrupted me."  
  
"Oh yes, in my young age, I corrupted you. Really, Legolas, I think it might have been the other way around."  
  
Legolas smiled, "we did have a way with havoc, didn't we?" He thought back to his many trips to Rivendell growing up, visiting Elrohir and Elladan.  
  
Aragorn smiled, "needless to say, there was never a dull moment in my childhood."  
  
"Glad to know we left an impression on you," Legolas smiled mischievously.  
  
Aragorn laughed, "come now, let's head in," he smiled walking off towards the entrance.  
  
Legolas nodded slowly, "you head in first, I'll be there in a moment," he lied turning back around to watch the night's sky.  
  
Aragorn shook his head slowly, knowing his friend would never come inside. If he had received one thing from Nessa leaving, he had become more stubborn then ever. His father was going to love that behavior change when Legolas returned.  
  
He smiled softly, he could understand why Legolas thought about this she- elf so. In the brief moment that he had met her, he couldn't get her out of his head. Not in a loving sort of way, but a friendship sort of way. She had a lasting impression, although her breaking down might have caused it more then anything else, he'd like to think that is why his friend still thought of her so much. Because he couldn't get her out of his head.  
  
"Why do you love her?" Aragorn stated his thoughts bluntly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"If it hurts that much, why do you love her?"  
  
Legolas paused for a moment, "her voice." He said softly, his eyes penetrating Aragorn's own pair.  
  
Now it was Aragorn's turn to be confused, "what?"  
  
"It's what I love most about her, her voice," his piercing glare didn't leave Aragorn's eyes, "it was your stupid question," he shrugged his eyes returning to their natural state.  
  
"Why her voice? That's a strange thing to say." Aragorn commented, unsure of what to say to something like that.  
  
"It's soothing and warm," Legolas's eyes grew distant as he remembered back, "like the sea, that's what her voice reminds me of. The sea. Gentle, but commanding at times. In fact, if you think about it, Nessa is like the sea." Legolas rambled, smiling faintly.  
  
Aragorn looked at his friend strangely, not sure how to react to what his friend was saying. His mood had suddenly changed again, but he was starting to get used to that. In fact, he was having trouble guessing which was the real Legolas and which was the front. Whatever it was, his front wasn't strong enough.  
  
Legolas's eyes moved back to Aragorn, losing that far off look, "the sea changes with the tide, and you think, where as all the water gone? How can this be happening, it doesn't make any sense," he smiled faintly, "but the sea always comes back, doesn't it?" He said with a sparkle in his eyes, "that's how I know."  
  
Aragorn snapped, "Legolas! Do you even hear what you're saying?" He yelled at his friend and for the first time truly frustrated with the elf. He took a deep, calming breath, "she's not coming back, Legolas. You have to stop waiting." He said a bit more softly, but his words where still harsh. He knew they cut through Legolas like a knife, he could see it in the elf's composure, it had changed again while he said those words. And as much as he regretted saying them each time, he knew they had to be said. This was getting out of hand.  
  
Legolas smiled and nodded, "she came back to Rivendell, didn't she?"  
  
Aragorn cast his friend a look, but no words would come to him. Although, a look was all Legolas needed to understand what was going on inside his friend's head. He knew of the man's concern for his well being, but he also knew that he couldn't just stop loving Nessa. It didn't happen like that. He knew he was a fool for all he had done, for holding on like a love-sick puppy, but he also knew that he just couldn't forget about her. Not just yet.  
  
"Is everything all right out here, I heard raised voices," Eowyn made her presence known once again. She looked from Legolas to Aragorn in confusion, wondering why the two companions stood so silently.  
  
Aragorn forced a smile, "it was nothing, I was just trying to convince our elven friend to join us inside," he lied not wanting to discuss his friend's troubles with the girl. She had a good heart, yes, but she seemed a romantic. Legolas's heart was confused enough already.  
  
Eowyn smiled, "that would be well, for it seems that our friend has alluded such celebrations so far."  
  
Legolas forced a smile, "I mean not to be rude, milady, but I am just not in a celebrating mood this evening," he frowned slightly, "one of my dear friends, Haldir," he said slowly finding it hard to say the words, "he fell at Helm's Deep."  
  
Eowyn lowered her head, "I am truly sorry, Master elf, I had no idea."  
  
Legolas shook his head, "I'll be fine," he mumbled, then with a slight smile added, "it's how Haldir would have wanted to go out anyways. He was never much of a fan of living forever, anyways. At least this way he'll be remembered doing something good, right?"  
  
Aragorn cast his friend a look, he knew that the elf was saddened by his friend's death, but that wasn't the reason he was standing outside again. He was just using it as an excuse.  
  
Eowyn nodded, "I'm sure he will always be honored here, along with all the others that fell during that battle."  
  
Legolas shot her a somber smile, "I think I shall retire for the evening," his words where empty, for once he was using the words his Atar had always insisted him on using. For some reason they sounded more princely or something. To him, they sounded without emotion. No thought ever went into those words.  
  
He gave Aragorn a silent nod, knowing that their conversation was far from over, and Eowyn a gentle smile as he walked away. He didn't have the patience nor the desire to deal with that now, and for once was grateful for Eowyn coming and interrupting him again. She seemed have a keen talent for that.  
  
Right now he just had to put his thoughts on hold, there were things that were starting to set in motion that scared him. All he knew was that there were bigger things happening then just him and Nessa.  
  
  
  
It was unusually cold that day. Even amongst Gondor's standards. It was funny, in the mist of everything that was happening to her, she could never get one thing off her mind, him. Every time she felt cold, laughed, even saw a book, she would remember back to him.  
  
And it was foolish, and she knew it. They had rushed into something they didn't understand. But she couldn't help but to miss him so. So much it made her hurt. Sometimes, it even made her cry alone at night.  
  
She wished and wished that someone could comfort her, sure she had a friend in Alannis, but she was just a child. She couldn't understand what Nessa was going through, she just looked to Nessa for stories. And even then, her mother would have a fit when she saw her daughter around Nessa again. She would glare at Nessa with such cold eyes, such cold hatred filled eyes.  
  
Maybe, just maybe, the woman was right. Maybe, elves and men weren't meant to live together in harmony. Barely anyone uttered a word to her, especially at a time when she needed to hear words the most.  
  
So she sat, day after day, week after week, rocking in her chair. Unable to move for lack of spirit. And, for a second time, regretted.  
  
"Lady elf?" A man walked over to her small home, he was tall for a man, dressed in all black except for the sign of Gondor that was printed on his shirt.  
  
Nessa lifted her head up in reply, hoping that the man wasn't here to tell her off. She was getting sick of it.  
  
He smiled, lowering his head to stare at the ground, "it's silly really," he looked back up at her, "but I've seen you almost everyday, and I just have to ask,"  
  
"Why I sit here?" She finished his sentence for him, that was the other thing these people would ask her, right before they told her off.  
  
He smiled, "yes, yes, that is what I came to ask you. You wouldn't mind, would you? I mean not too offend."  
  
Nessa smiled faintly, "a lot of people ask that question."  
  
"And do a lot of people get an answer?"  
  
Her smile grew a little, "sometimes, when I am in a good mood."  
  
"Ah, a good mood! Well, let's hope that you have been blessed with one this afternoon!" He laughed, throwing his head back.  
  
She nodded, "all right, I sit here because I am thinking."  
  
"Thinking of what?"  
  
Her faint smile returned to her, "of a lot of things," she lied, there was only one thing on her mind and that was the one thing she wanted to drive from it.  
  
"Well, it must be important, because I see you thinking everyday, and something with that much attention brought to it must be important," he rambled.  
  
Nessa chuckled softly, "well I shall sit here until I find an answer to my problem."  
  
He smiled thoughtfully, "ah, solving a problem, are we? Well you see, lady elf, I hate to say this, but I do not think you shall ever be rid of your problems."  
  
"How so? The world may have problems, yes, but this problem can be solved, I promise you that."  
  
He shook his head, "but you see, you have been sitting there, everyday since you came here, just thinking about your problem. And I am sure, that even when you move from your chair, that you still carry that problem. Alas, lady elf, but I believe that you have found yourself an unanswerable problem."  
  
She shook her head, "everything must have a solution, am I correct?"  
  
The man's eyes twinkled as he shook his head, "if you have to think that much about it, is it really worth trying to solve?"  
  
Nessa opened her mouth, but found no words.  
  
He tossed his hand up, "no, let me finish. I can tell that you are saddened by this problem, lady elf, any man could see that. But why you chose to come here in seclusion so that you may be even more miserable as you try and solve a problem that may not even be worth solving. For all I know, you might have already solved it."  
  
She closed her mouth, her mind working on overload trying to process everything the young man was saying. It made perfect sense, yes, but, somehow, someway, she just didn't want to believe it.  
  
He smiled, "but, that's just my opinion. I have my answer now, and I shall leave you alone."  
  
Nessa nodded, "alright," she finally made out.  
  
He nodded and left her to her stoop. She sat there for a moment, then, on a sudden burst of energy, she pushed herself up. She pushed herself out of her chair, and she began to walk around the city. She had no where to go, but she just wandered aimlessly through the large city. For the first time since she had came to Gondor, and even then she didn't notice everything about it. Her mind had been elsewhere.  
  
She watched the people, saw children playing in the street, vendors selling goods, people standing in groups and talking. And for the first time, in all these months apart, she felt happy. Truly happy.  
  
And she thought, maybe, just maybe, it was time to go home. To Mirkwood.  
  
  
  
Please review. 


	4. Finding You

_I'm glad people are enjoying this fic so far, I have never gotten such a strong response from any of my other fics. To all you guys who reviewed, thank-you so much, it means a lot to me. Love ya!_

"I love him," she whispered to herself, "I love him," slowly she found the words easier and easier to say. It made sense, she couldn't get him out of her head, every minute of every day. She loved him. It was funny, it took a complete outsider to tell her this, show her the madness in her ways. But, she didn't care now, she wanted to be happy even if that meant going home with her tail between her legs. She didn't care, she just wanted him to hold her again. Make everything better.  
  
She stood still in the middle of the white city, tears coming to her eyes. She had been such a fool. Sure, they had jumped into things a little quickly, but that didn't matter, she was in love. She ran her fingers through her hair, her mouth gaping, "what have I done," she turned and ran down the winding path back to her small home. Her adrenaline rushing through her body uncontrollably strong.  
  
There was only one thought on her mind, she had to get home. She didn't care how dangerous it was, all she cared about was going back to him. She missed the rush of laughter, the joy of smiling. It didn't matter what family he was born into, all it mattered was him. And she was a fool to doubt.  
  
She ran into her small temporary home, grabbing this and that and throwing all of it into a small worn knapsack. It wasn't much, but it had gotten her through. Within minutes she had packed, without taking a second look at her small home, she hurried outside again, taking one last look at the old rocking chair she had sat in so much.  
  
A small smile crept her to lips, one of the fist genuine smiles since she had left, "I am a fool," she with amusement, shaking her head.  
  
"Lady elf!" The same man she had talked to earlier approached her, now dressed in full armor holding his helmet in his hand.  
  
"Kind sir, I owe you the world," she smiled, "I get it now, I-I-I don't know what I was thinking! I love him! That's all that matters! And I am going home! There was nothing to think about, and you made me see that!"  
  
He smiled somberly, "I'm glad to hear that I was of service, lady elf, but, I'm sorry to say, you cannot leave the city."  
  
Nessa's smile dropped, her eyes growing large, "what?" She whispered, dropping her bag.  
  
He looked at her sadly, "the city is under attack, you cannot leave. You shouldn't even be in your home, go, to where it's safe."  
  
Nessa stared sadly at the man, "but, but," she felt tears come to her eyes, "what if he never knows."  
  
He smiled encouragingly, "do not worry, lady elf, Gondor is strong."  
  
She lifted up a shaky hand, wiping away her tears, "I am a fool," she said sadly.  
  
"No," he shook his head, "never a fool, lady elf," he smiled, "now go, hurry!" He waved his free hand for her to run to the upper levels.  
  
She nodded, grabbing her bag and running back to where she had come from earlier. Fate, it seemed, still had once last ride for her. Wiping away the remnants of her tears, she walked boldly into the mass of people, throwing her emerald hood up over her ears. She made her way into a small corner where she could sit alone, she knew better then to join one of the large groups of people.  
  
"Nessa!" Alannis ran over to her, smiling happily, "I was so scared! I thought you hadn't come!" She wrapped her arms around Nessa, giving the elf a warm hug.  
  
Nessa smiled, putting her arms around the young girl, "Alannis, you should be with your Naneth." She smiled encouragingly, then realized her mistake, "I mean, mother."  
  
Alannis nodded slowly, "why does my mother hate you? I mean, you're so nice, Nessa, and I like you."  
  
Nessa smiled warmly, "thank-you, Alannis, but that's a question to ask your mother, and not me."  
  
Alannis pulled back, frowning slightly, "but she won't tell me either."  
  
"Then maybe it's better you don't understand, little one."  
  
"I'm not little," Alannis crossed her arms and pouted.  
  
Nessa smiled, "then go, your mother must be worried. Trust me, she loves you an awful lot."  
  
Alannis nodded, stepping away from Nessa, "alright, but I'll talk to you later, promise?"  
  
Nessa shook her head, "I'm sorry, little one, but, I'm going home," she laughed slightly, "I'm going to go home."  
  
Alannis nodded sadly, "but, I don't want you to go, Nessa. You're my friend."  
  
"And you shall have other friends, Alannis. Don't worry, I promise I'll visit you again, some time soon, maybe. And maybe, by then, you have made a ton more of friends and I'll bring some of my friends, and we can all sit and talk together. Won't that be fun?"  
  
Alannis nodded, "promise?"  
  
Nessa smiled, nodding, "of course," she looked up to see Alannis's mother standing behind them impatiently, "go, now, hurry!" She smiled, waving the little girl off to her mother.  
  
Alannis nodded, and waved her goodbye, "remember your promise, Nessa!"  
  
Her smile turned more and more somber as the girl and her mother disappeared into the crowd. She hated promising the impossible, but, she hoped, that maybe she could come through on this one. She had broken a lot of promises recently, lied maybe even more.  
  
That scar was still there, though, and it seemed to be cut deeper and deeper with each added burden. Legolas had said he wanted to share her burdens, but she wasn't ready to share her pain just yet. She was scared. The fear never really made much sense at all, once she thought back on it, but it was strong. Strong enough to drive her away from happiness.  
  
A small smile came across her lips, she had once thought happiness was a guarantee, that everyone had. But now, now she realized happiness was earned, and happiness was lost, but most importantly, she had to remember that you could always find happiness again. And she thought the valor had forsaken her, but in the end, the valor always protected her. She was just too blind to see it. And now, now she might have just lost her one chance at happiness.  
  
  
  
Legolas rode through the city absent-mindedly. Not really watching the people, not really listening to their happy cheers. The battle was won, but the dark lord still reigned, and Frodo was still out there somewhere. Hopefully alive.  
  
Aragorn rode beside him, he was silent as well. Even Gimli, who sat behind Legolas, had fallen quiet. Waging war took a lot out of them apparently.  
  
"I still say we should have kept them," Gimli finally grumbled, "they'd come in handy in another tight spot."  
  
Aragorn shook his head, "no, Gimli, I promised I would let them rest. If I hadn't, I don't think that they would have even helped us anyways."  
  
"Imagine them coming after you, Gimli," Legolas smirked, "they hold no oath to your ancestors."  
  
Gimli grumbled something along the lines of 'stupid elf' before again returning to his silence. Legolas, now having wandered out of his absent- minded state, began to look around him, at the people. All seemed relieved to have survived, but many others were weeping as they looked upon dead friends and relatives.  
  
"Gondor needs their King," Legolas smiled and looked at his friend.  
  
Aragorn looked among the people, his eyes giving away his sadness, "I am no King."  
  
"You cannot hide from who you are, Aragorn. Dislike it as you may, I know that you will be the one to unite all of us again."  
  
"How can you know such things?" Aragorn looked at the elf, "my path has always been hidden from me."  
  
Legolas shook his head, "Arwen believes in you, doesn't she? That has to count for something."  
  
Aragorn sat silently, his eyes staring ahead as they rode up the long, winding road through Gondor. Legolas nodded slowly, then looked back among the people. He could tell that this journey was coming to an end, he was going to miss riding beside his friends. Nine had left Rivendell, maybe only six would return. He had hoped for a long time now that all would return, but he knew in the back of his mind that many of them would not return.  
  
Frodo's fate had been sealed when he left the fellowship, Sam's as well. Merry and Pippin, although maybe the most unlikely among heroes, had almost sealed their fates as well when they helped Frodo escape. And Boromir, he had done exactly what he had promised. He died protecting the hobbits from harm, and, inadvertently let Frodo, and the ring, escape harm's way.  
  
As for Aragorn, Gimli, and himself, they had survived many battles. But one could only dance around death for so long. Sooner or later, death catches up.  
  
"Legolas," Aragorn breathed slowly, noticing a familiar face in the crowd.  
  
"What?" He turned to his friend.  
  
"Look," he pointed to the blond haired she-elf, crouching next to a little girl and talking. Her back was to him, but it was her. There was no doubt of that in his mind.  
  
Legolas's mouth dropped, "Nessa," he whispered, much to Gimli's confusion, "Nessa!" He yelled to her stopping his horse in the middle of the street.  
  
Nessa turned her head to see him sitting on a white horse, smiling sadly. She stood up, ignoring the girl's many questions, "Legolas," she finally made out, her eyes filling with tears. She stood there for a moment, arguing with her legs to move.  
  
Legolas climbed down from his white horse, careful as to not knock Gimli off, but still with such speed and agility that only an elf could muster. Somehow, her legs took control of her body, and she ran into his arms, burying her head in his chest. Heavy sobs escaping her eyes and lips. It wasn't at all how she pictured meeting him again, but sometimes it is better left to actions as apposed to words. They always spoke louder, anyways.  
  
He smiled softly, stroking her hair, and trying to whisper anything reassuring. For a moment so streaked with tears, it would probably be one of the happiness memories of his life that he would take with him everywhere. Holding her in his arms after so long, knowing that she had finally come back to him. That it was not false hope.  
  
And she, who had spent most of her life running from something like this, had suddenly found it to be something she never wanted to live without. She loved him. She loved him. She loved him. And that is all that should matter. Love.  
  
"What a pair we make," Legolas finally whispered to her, kissing her a top the head in an effort to try and calm her. He rested his head on top of hers, closing his eyes and feeling the release of his tears. "What a pair."  
  
It was funny, for a moment, time seemed to stop for the two elves. The people of Gondor stood as silent observers, most surprised to see their infamous resident elf crying in another's arms, others for reasons of their own.  
  
Alannis's mother took her daughter by the hand, smiling down on the child. Alannis looked up at her mother, not understanding why her friend had just left her in tears. Her mother just shook her head, "come now, Alannis, let's go now."  
  
"But what about Nessa, Mamma?"  
  
The woman shrugged, "I don't know, I don't know what will become of her."  
  
Alannis looked at her friend again, watching as the elf that held her kissed her gently a top the head. She felt another tug on her hand, her mother was getting impatient. She sighed, "bye Nessa," she whispered to the wind, walking away into the crowd.  
  
Aragorn shook his head, "they're both fools," he mused looking over to Gimli before turning his attention back to his friends.  
  
Gimli snorted, "how come you two didn't see it fit to tell me any of this!" He waved his hand in the direction of Legolas and Nessa.  
  
Aragorn smiled faintly, "how come you didn't ask?"  
  
"How was I supposed to know!"  
  
Aragorn laughed, "by asking," he mused before picking up the dwarf and sticking him on the back of his horse, much to Gimli's disapproval.  
  
"What do you think you're doing!" The bewildered dwarf finally asked, "this is too strange." He commented, not used to riding behind Aragorn.  
  
"Something tells me that now that he has her back, he's never going to let her go again," Aragorn reasoned, kicking his horse lightly to signal it to start walking again. Legolas pulled back, now that she had calmed down. Taking her head in his heads and studying it closely, it had been many months since he had last seen her. Although, he had often thought about her, it still wasn't the same as holding her in his arms again. "You look tired," he finally said, "your eyes, they look so tired now."  
  
She smiled, "yours aren't exactly awake, either."  
  
He brushed a stray hair from her face, glad to feel her hair between his fingers again. They stood in silence for a moment, both unsure of what to say. "I don't know where to go from here," Legolas finally blurted out his thoughts. "I don't know whether to hug you, or to kiss you, or to turn you away. I just don't know anymore."  
  
She shrugged, "neither do I. We certainly made a royal mess out of things, didn't we?"  
  
He smiled, "as always," he teased.  
  
"I guess we could start back from the beginning."  
  
He shook his head, "I don't regret our time together, why should we pretend like it never happened?"  
  
"Because that's what tore us apart, Legolas," she sighed, "we imploded."  
  
"No, we tore ourselves apart, Ness. You were in pain, and I was too love stuck to even bother seeing it. And when I finally did, I had realized that I had lost you."  
  
She stepped forward, closing the small gap between them, and put her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I was gone before I had met you," she breathed.  
  
"Then why come back to me?" He asked sadly, pulling her back again to look into her eyes once more.  
  
She bit her lip, "stranger things have happened," she said casting her eyes downwards, trying to avoid his piercing stare.  
  
"Why are you here, Nessa?" He repeated himself, "why are you here back in my arms? Only you can answer that."  
  
Her eyes began to tear up again, "because I am a fool." _Whoot. Another chappy down, and the reunion of Leggy and Nessa! I must confess, I had a hard time with this chapter. I rewrote, and rewrote, and rewrote how they would meet at least seven times. And each time there would be a ton of reworking done. So I hope you like this meeting of our two lovers, it was the one that I thought best captured their personalities.  
  
In a couple of the first ones, I had them talking a lot more, like from the get go really. And they were both right there like making out in the middle of the street. And that just didn't sit well with me. Because we know that both characters really love each other, but there are obvious problems in their relationship. And the fact that Nessa did not return to Legolas, but in fact he found her would be slightly unsettling to Leggy.  
  
But he knows when she calls herself a fool, that a lot of the same thought patterns have been going through her brain. Because all the chappys Leggy was in by himself, that is what he always referred to himself as! Note the connection!  
  
So there you have it, a little glimpse into my head, and hopefully you have the same thought pattern. And I will shut up now.  
  
Please Review._


	5. Understanding

_So, I've finally decided to get back to some of you on your reivews. Here we go:_

_Yuki: Oh, thanks, your so sweet! But to set the record straight (and I am sorry if it was confusing) the last chapter took place **after the battle at Minas Tirth** not the final battle. _

_Lindorien: Your my hero! I love you! And I will keep your comments/suggestions in mind as I continue my writing._

_Daw the Minstel: THANK-YOU! Finally someone agrees with me! Authors **are **allowed to be AU, or else it would be **the same exact story**. (Sorry, many a arguements with this topic...apparently some people dissagree with me...heh)_

_And thanks all go out to: Raina and Nayana, TheBarrelRacinChIcK, Sunni07, Lady Eleclya, and my "faithful fan lways" Nirobie!_

* * *

Later that night, they stood out in the darkness beneath the white tree of Gondor. It was bittersweet, seeing each other again, and so unlike how each imagined returning to each other. Both had changed so much, so much, in fact they barely recognized themselves anymore.  
  
They stood several feet apart from one another, just staring absent mindedly at each other's eyes. "You've changed, Ness," Legolas finally stated his mind.  
  
"So have you, Legolas. More then you know," she commented, putting her arms around herself. It was funny, being with him again. The silences that used to comfort her were now so awkward and unnerving. Those eyes that used to intrigue her, now were dark, and she couldn't help but think she might have started this change. It probably wasn't her complete fault, from what she could see, he had been through a lot more in the time that she had been absent, but she had probably started this changed in him. And that wasn't exactly comforting.  
  
"What happened to us?" He finally asked, remembering back to what things used to be like.  
  
She shrugged, "We imploded, Legolas. So much happened so fast, I just," she paused not wanting to finish her sentence. "I was scared," she finally admitted.  
  
"Scared of what? You never really did explain to me why exactly you left, you simply said that you needed to think some things through. And I curse myself everyday for having let you go."  
  
She shook her head, "I was never yours to let go of."  
  
He shallowed hard, he knew she had told him this before, but the words where still harsh. Had he fallen in love with someone else, someone who didn't exist. Would he fade from existence over a dream?  
  
"The reason I left was because I didn't think I was in love with you," she finally whispered, breaking his thoughts.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Wait," she held up her hand, "let me finish."  
  
He nodded slowly, feeling his eyes swell up again.  
  
"You met me at a bad time, Legolas. I don't know if I just liked the idea of being in love, or that I needed to feel loved, or if I was truly in love. I needed to leave and find out. That was something I had to do alone, Legolas."  
  
"But you love me, now, don't you? Is that not why you are standing here now?" He looked at her softly, hoping that she would say yes.  
  
"Things are so complicated, Legolas."  
  
"Look, we don't have much time," he sighed, "I'll be leaving tomorrow. I need to know."  
  
"Need to know what?" She croaked out, "need to know how I feel about you before you go riding off to your death!"  
  
"Stop dancing around it, Nessa!" He said harshly, countering her anger with his own.  
  
"I was going home, Legolas! Don't you understand that! I was going to go home!"  
  
He smiled faintly, never taking his eyes off of her. "Then the attack happened," he finished her thought for her, smiling hopefully and letting the darkness leave for a moment.  
  
"Legolas, you don't understand! I never got that chance to see if I could return to you! You came to me!" She jerked her head back up to face him, tears streaming down her face. "And I don't know, I don't know, I don't know," she yelled at him, her hands shaking wildly.  
  
He watched her as she began to break down, somehow something stopping him from taking her into his arms. Then again, his heart was shot anyways, pierced with perfection and she stood there holding the bow. He always knew he would be dammed if he ever fell in love. Things just always seemed to work out that way with him.  
  
"I never got that chance to see if I could actually go through with it," she said softly, somewhat calmer now. "And now, now there are bigger things happening, I can feel it. You would not ride if there wasn't."  
  
Legolas offered a small smile, but not really succeeding in his efforts. "You always knew how to cheer someone up, didn't you, Ness?" He said a little bit more harshly then he had intended it.  
  
"Legolas! How can you be like this! There are other things happening, bigger things! And yet you stand there just thinking about us! Open your eyes! Stop being a fool!"  
  
He stood there, for one of the first times in his life out of words to say. Out of words to describe what had happened to him over the time that she was absent from his life. During the time that he had lost her. "Did you ever wonder why?"  
  
"Why? Why what!"  
  
"Why we met? Why we went against what everyone was saying? Why we ended up like this? Why do we even bother!" Legolas's blood rose, his anger finally kicking in, "When we are so incredibly wrong for each other, why do we bother!"  
  
"I don't know! That's the reason I left, Legolas! To figure why!"  
  
"Nessa! Since you left all I was able to think about was you! You weave your way into someone's life, and as much as they want to, they can never forget you! You're a sickness! A sickness so vile that you are both the sickness and the antidote!"  
  
Nessa started to walk backwards a little, her face still streaked with tears, her eyes full of pain. This wasn't the Legolas she had left. This version of him was so much darker, more cynical. More like her Atar. And just that thought alone was enough to scare her, even bring back her pain. But Legolas didn't see her pain, she had unleashed a part of him that he had never wanted her to ever see. And there was no turning back now.  
  
"You need to make up your mind! I cannot," he paused, re-thinking his words, "No, I will not, wait for you any more! I need to move on, with or without you!" He fumed, glaring at her harshly.  
  
"I-I," Nessa stammered with her words, unsure of what she really wanted to say. It had been so simple that morning, she was going to leave and live happily ever after with him, but now, now that he stood there, she wasn't sure if they could ever make things right between them. She wasn't even sure if there ever was something to begin with -something stronger then friendship.  
  
Legolas's gaze was intense, his emotions taking over his body for once, "I can't take anymore of this, this, this madness!"  
  
"I was right," she said harshly, words finding their own way out of her mouth, "You have changed." She turned around, not giving the satisfaction of knowing that he had gotten to her, even for one second. Not letting him see that she was crying again.  
  
And he let her go again, his anger controlling him. "Oh yeah! Well I'm not the only one!" He yelled after her, his frustration was finally let loose. All those nights and days standing there, just thinking about her, he had realized he had wasted. He was dreaming after someone else. Someone who didn't exist, or at least not in Nessa. He was thinking of a dream.

* * *

She walked stiffly through the upper levels of the city, her arms wrapped around herself again. Not because she was cold, but more because she was alone. And how she wished she had never left, she should have just stayed in Rivendell. At home. With her family. Where she belonged. But here, here was cold. Everything reminded her of him, and thinking of him reminded her of her family. And that scar, that awful scar that would never stop haunting her.  
  
"Lady elf, are you, are you alright?" A blonde woman made her way over to Nessa, wrapped in many blankets and looking rather ill. A lot had been taken out of her that day, that much was apparent, but she could still see Nessa crying. Something everyone else overlooked, whether on purpose or not.  
  
"I'm fine," Nessa choked out, not really wanting to confess her deepest emotions to some woman that had come up to her in the middle of the night.  
  
"I beg your pardon for my rudeness, but tears do not lie, lady elf."  
  
"I'd rather not talk about it."  
  
The woman looked hesitantly at Nessa, unsure as to either walk away or try and comfort her. "I saw you talking to Legolas, you're that she-elf he pines after, are you not? Lady Nessa, if I remember correctly."  
  
Nessa turned to look at the woman, not really understand what was going on. This woman apparently knew a lot more then her. "Aye, that is me, but, if you don't mind me asking, who are you? And how do you know Legolas?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, this must be terribly rude, I am Lady Eowyn of Rohan. Legolas and his company stayed in Rohan and fought beside us. I have spent many nights talking with him, or rather me talking to him and he, with what little he spoke, was in incomprehensible riddles."  
  
"Lady Eowyn, I appreciate your concern, but Legolas and I, are, are," she paused, unable to think of any words to rightfully describe what they were. She really wasn't all too sure herself where they stood.  
  
"You must forgive me for my boldness, but I really would prefer to intervene this once. Lady Nessa, that elf is very much in love with you. While in Rohan, when I talked with him, the little he spoke of, he always spoke of you. Lady Nessa, you are walking away from love. And I for one am not going to sit back and watch it happen."  
  
Nessa shook her head, smiling faintly, "Lady Eowyn, that is where you go wrong in your conclusion. This is not the first time I have walked away, nor do I fear it be the last."  
  
"Why did you walk away the first time?"  
  
She gave the woman an annoyed look, whether she knew Legolas or not did not matter to her. She did not know this mortal woman, and even if she did she was not in the mood for confession.  
  
Eowyn looked down, "I am sorry, lady elf, I am prying again, aren't I?"  
  
"Again?" Nessa questioned, fearing the worst for any others that had come in her path.  
  
She nodded sheepishly, "I never mean to offend."  
  
"And you haven't offended me," Nessa reassured the mortal woman, "I am just not in the best of all places right now."  
  
Eowyn nodded, as both of them fell into an uncomfortable silence. She studied the she-elf in front of her, trying to remember all of what Legolas had told her about this elf. But then again, he really didn't divulge much information to start with. "He loves you, you know that right, Lady Elf?" She broke the silence, hoping that just maybe that would somehow help the she-elf.  
  
Nessa shrugged, "So he says," she muttered.  
  
Eowyn shook her head, putting her hand on Nessa's shoulder. "No, Lady Elf, he loves you. I can see it."  
  
"And what do you know of love, Lady Eowyn?" Nessa said harshly, not really wanting to deal with the mortal woman anymore. She knew nothing of the situation, why was she so set on trying to make things better for her.  
  
"I know that Legolas did not rest while in Rohan, and that he thought of you often. He may have been with us physically, but mentally, mentally he was with you. Lady Elf, I know you must think I speak of something I know nothing of, but please, listen to me."  
  
Nessa shrugged, stepping away from the woman, not wanting to continue on with the conversation. She turned, looking back down the path she was originally walking down.  
  
"Lady Elf!" She called after Nessa, not letting her go so easily. "You must believe me, you are not helping things by leaving."  
  
"Helping who? Legolas?" Nessa hissed, turning around to face Eowyn again. "Well let me tell you something, he is not the only one that goes without sleep, that hurts, and that cries! Have you forgotten about me? How do you think it feels to walk away? Do you think I enjoy doing this!" Nessa yelled at the woman, all of her building frustrations flying out.  
  
"I-I'm sorry," Eowyn apologized, having not expected that kind of reaction.  
  
Nessa sighed, "No, look, I'm sorry. You're not the one I am mad at; you didn't deserve that. You were just trying to help."  
  
Eowyn nodded, "I suppose I really don't understand," she smiled faintly, still trying to act as friendly as possible with the she-elf.  
  
Nessa sighed heavily, "look, Legolas and I have some problems that we need to work through. That is all that is happening right now, all right?"  
  
"But I thought elves," Eowyn looked at Nessa embarrassed, "love only once," she said quietly.  
  
Nessa smiled, "yes, that is true. But how can you know what love is if you have never felt a compassion so strong before in your life? A compassion so strong that when they leave you, it crushes you? How do you know what love is?"  
  
"But how do you know what love isn't?" She countered, looking at Nessa intensely.  
  
Nessa sighed heavily, "look, I don't even know why I am talking to you about this, you know nothing of me! Why are you so concerned?"  
  
Eowyn shrugged, even she didn't know why she was so intent on bringing the two elves together. Maybe it was because she pitied Legolas–he had seemed so lovesick in Rohan. And now this she-elf, she looked as though the world had ended and she just wasn't quite ready for it yet.  
  
"It was nice meeting you, Lady Eowyn, but I would rather spend this evening alone, if you don't mind." Nessa turned her back before the woman could say another word and walked away into the darkness. Still upset. Tears still threatening to fall. She had imagined her reuniting with Legolas to be so different. It would be happy, not sad or frustrating. It would be everything but what it had become.  
  
She continued to walk through the dark city, paying no heed to direction or to the time. She needed to clear her head. But the only thing she could think of was the one thing she wanted to rid her mind of. Him.  
  
"Why do I do this?" She mumbled to herself, pulling her arms around her small frame protectively. "I've become the biggest fool of them all, and I never even intended any of it. Why do I still love him? Why did I even love him in the first place?"  
  
"Do you always talk to yourself, Lady Elf?" An amused voice asked from behind her. The man that she had talked to earlier ran up besides her, smiling cheerfully. "I was always told that was a sign of insanity."  
  
Nessa shrugged, "I am not insane," she mumbled.  
  
"I saw you earlier today in the city," he said, trying to make conversation, "you and that other elf. I take it that he was one of your old friends."  
  
"Maybe," she sighed, "I don't really know."  
  
"How can you not know?" He asked, amusement in his tone.  
  
Nessa shot him a look, "Sir you don't even know my name, why do you even bother asking?"  
  
"Because you looked as though you needed someone to talk to, Lady Elf. Most people do not generally talk to themselves, although you are an elf and that may or may not be common among your kin. That I do not know."  
  
"What is your name, sir? I have talked to you on numerous occasions today, and yet failed to have asked that question."  
  
"You have failed to asked me any questions, Lady Elf," he said with a grin, "and it's Faramir."  
  
"Faramir, an unique name to my ears. Are you from Minas Tirth?"  
  
He nodded, "yes, yes I am. And if you do not mind me asking, what is your name, Lady Elf?"  
  
"Nessa," she smiled, "but I guess I really don't have a home anymore."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"I'd rather not explain."  
  
He smiled faintly and nodded, "then why did you say that you were going home earlier? If your statement is true,"  
  
"Then I should have a home," she finished his sentence for him. "I know, I know. Let's not remind me of it, shall we?"  
  
"Words coming back to bite you, are they?"  
  
"I guess you could say that," she smiled amused.  
  
"Ah, you see, so it isn't so terribly hard to smile! I knew you had it in you!"  
  
Nessa rolled her eyes at the man's antics, "You do not give up easily, do you?"  
  
"Depends on the situation."  
  
"Then what makes me so special that you would waste so much time? You won't be here forever, isn't your time better spent with those who you love?"  
  
"Maybe so, Lady Nessa,"  
  
"Lady, your kind," she interrupted him.  
  
"All I know is that I passed you every day and never saw a smile grace those pale lips of yours. And for whatever reason, I feel compelled to help."  
  
"That is where you are wrong, I do not need pity. Smiling is something reserved for happy times, and I am afraid to say these are not happy times."  
  
"How so? Even with all the fighting, is there not something to smile about?"  
  
"That is where you contradict yourself, sir, you see I have seen you passing me as well. And not once did I see you smile either, you have the look of a determined man. A somber determination is really what it is."  
  
"And how do you see that, Lady Nessa? Humor me."  
  
"Your eyes tell a story," she looked at him closely, "Like all eyes, and no matter how many smiles you force upon your face, your eyes will always be sad. They'll always give you away."  
  
He looked down at her, gazing into her eyes. Trying to see in her own what she could see in his. "Your eyes show pain, milady."  
  
"Pain is apart of life."  
  
He looked her in frustration, "Then how can such a thing as sadness appear in one's eyes? How can sadness appear and not pain?"  
  
"I never said pain could not appear, I just simply stated that pain is apart of life. A part that we must all go through," she looked away, realizing that she was starting to say too much.  
  
"You need not go through it alone," he whispered, still looking down at her.  
  
She shook her head, "sometimes you do."  
  


* * *

_Thank-you for all your guys support, espically since I am not the greatest updater of them all...or speller if we're really getting into it. And I also kinda have a little problem with finishing things. I have to start at least ten other projects during the time I am supposed to be working on a fic, because I can't make things hetic enough. _

_Oh well, I'll leave you alone now. _

__

_Please Review._


	6. Fate

_Wow. It's been forever since I updated this fic. It's been forever since I've been over in the LOTR's section. Heh. Heh. _

_Well, yeah, thanks for all of your patience with this fic. It's winding down I promise! lol. No part three in sight, don't worry! (I don't think I could take it!)_

_Thanks to all you guys for all the reviews on both parts. You guys have been overly kind (again). _

_Well, here you go:_

* * *

Legolas stood still, haven't moved from the spot she had left him at. Still hoping to see her walk back, and still regretting what he had said. Another part had taken over him, and as much as he wanted to stop it, he knew better. As harsh as those words where, they needed to be said. They were his emotions after all. She needed to know how he felt, that he could not wait around forever.

"I heard it all," Aragorn whispered, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Legolas still stood still, his words replaying inside of his head. He felt the wetness on his cheeks, but for some reason he was not ashamed. "You were right."

"About what?"

"I should have stopped longing after her," he whispered, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible. "I should have stopped, Aragorn. A long time ago."

"How can you say that, Legolas? You love that she-elf, crazy as it is, you nor I can never stop you from loving her."

"But if we love each other, then," he paused searching for words, "Why?"

"Love is never easy, Legolas."

He shook his head, "I don't deserve her anymore. Not that I ever really did, but now more then ever."

"How so?"

"You heard me, heard what I said to her!"

"Everyone says things they don't mean when they are angry, Legolas. Not even elves can prevent that, especially you. I've seen that temper of your first hand, and I'm still your friend, am I not?"

"I promised her that I wanted to help her with her problems, help her move on. But all I did was hold her back, and now, all I have done is made her remember."

Aragorn watched silently as his friend continued his tirade on himself. Sometimes it was better to let things run their course first, then maybe he'd understand. Maybe he'd talk and talk until it finally hit him. Or maybe, Aragorn would have to tell him the obvious. That he hadn't lost her just yet.

"I cannot believe the things I said! I must have sounded like a child!"

"Never a child," Aragorn said softly, "Always a fool."

"You think that I don't already know that I am a fool! I am a fool for putting myself through this! For ever even bothering to pretend that I was in love!"

Aragorn offered a faint smile, "As we all become, Legolas. There is no way of avoiding the blunt truth. And as much as it pains me to say, you are in love with her. And there should be no stopping that."

"She's gone, Aragorn," Legolas said flatly staring out into space.

He shallowed hard, "Legolas, right now, you cannot be thinking on her still. You have to remember why you are standing here besides me. There are bigger things happening here."

"Are you asking me to put my life on hold?"

"I'm pleading," he answered truthfully. "And until that time comes, when the battle is finally over, then you run after her before she truly is gone."

Legolas looked off into the distance, and he found himself uttering the same words she had said to him only moments before, "She was never mine to lose."

Aragorn shook his head slowly, "Love may shoot blindly, but there is no such thing as a false love. Especially among elves."

"I have always been a bit of a black sheep, though."

"Legolas, just remember, as soon as we have finished, you run after her. And once you find her, never let her go."

"How can you be so certain that I will find her? That she will have me?"

Aragorn smiled faintly, "Because love has a funny way of working out." He rested his hand on Legolas's shoulder, and offered another comforting smile, "Just keep holding on to that hope for now."

* * *

She seemed much more alone that night then she ever had before. The world seemed just a little bit darker, and her scar just a little deeper. Everything had changed so much since she had left home. She had left a world where there was love and happiness, for a world where there was nothing but loneliness and regret.

She trudged on through the city, her black cloak wrapped tightly around her frail body. Tears seemed to be the only thing that would come to her now, her cheeks now wet with their bittersweet taste. She made her way slowly back, so slowly that people began to take notice. Began to stare and eventually whisper. But even with that large mass of people, she felt so alone. And for the first time in her life, helpless.

Slowly she inched her way back to where she had spent so many of her days, her rocking chair, still intact and in good working order amazingly enough. She shuffled over, letting her eyes fall under its trance once more.

She was done watching. She was done waiting. It wasn't worth it anymore. Love was so troublesome in its course that nobody could ever sail through it without fail. Certainly not of all her.

"I was wrong," she whispered, her tears threatening to come back to her again. "Why did I ever leave? Why must I always chose the hard way?" She thought on this for a moment, before words would come to her again, "Because you are a fool," she answered herself.

Baring that thought was the breaking point. And her walk became ever so slower, her back slumped over, her feet would scuffle against the dirt. And she made her way back to the only other place that she knew. It wasn't home, but it wasn't here. Leaving was her first mistake. And there was always time to go back and change things around for the better.

"Lady Elf!" Lady Eowyn, the pesty mortal woman, ran towards her from the upper levels.

Nessa just looked at her sadly, "What is it now, Lady Eowyn? Has Legolas gone and thrown himself off the highest mountain so that I he might prove his love?"

She slowed down to a slow walk, until she reached Nessa. "I know that you do not agree with me meddling in yours and Legolas's affairs, but please, listen to me before you do anything rash."

"You have my ears for the moment."

"Did Legolas know that you were here, in Minas Tirth of all places?"

She shook her head, "No, I did not know where I was going when I left, and I did not see any reason to give him any news. I needed space, not a bigger cage."

"Then does it not prove that you two are fated to be together? That love brought you two together again?"

"No," she answered flatly, "This war brought us together. I was leaving, if there had not been a battle then I would have left and Legolas would not have come."

"Lady, why are so bitter that you cannot see that you are throwing away love?"

"Bitter?" Nessa chuckled at the mortal woman's description of her. "I believe I am realistic. And sometimes things are just realistically bitter."

"Then, if you do not believe me, give it one more chance, give Legolas one more chance. You said it yourself that you had not slept, that you had cried, if you were not in love would you not find ease once you had left?"

"Well,"

"Then go some other place far away from here. Go to the one place that you think Legolas would never find you in. Ever. Go there, and I shall tell Legolas that he has one chance to find you. If he picks the right place, then you two must be fated to be together, if not, then I was wrong and you can go back to your realistic way of life."

"You want me to hang everything I have learned this past year on fate?"

"No, on Legolas."

"And who's to check Legolas to make sure he only goes to one city?"

"Master Gimli, the dwarf, and Lord Aragorn, the ranger that travels with him. Legolas would go with them to the end of the world, and I do believe they would do the same for him."

Nessa bit her lip uncomfortably, "If I do this, and he fails, will you leave me be?"

Eowyn nodded, "I promise."

"Then it is settled. I will return home, and wait for Legolas. If he does not come in a year's time, then I shall consider him dead."

"I will go and tell them now, and make sure they give you three days head start, will that be sufficient?"

"More then enough."

* * *

The village hadn't changed much since she left almost three years ago now. It still maintained the beautiful elvish charm that she had missed while living amongst men. It was funny, she had spent almost two years trying to find herself, only to end back right back at the beginning again. It's life little ironies that keep us going through the day, she supposed. Otherwise, those little lessons would never have been taught and later remembered.

She walked up the grassy hill towards her family's small home. The once lush garden had become overrun with weeds and wildflowers, obviously after years of neglect. She glanced over her shoulder at the small hill behind her house, the one she used to lay on when she wanted to get away from it all. She remembered the last day she had laid there, it was her last day in the village. Her brother, Aerandir, had just come home from a hunt, with two of her younger brothers, Enyd and Adan. They must have grown so much since she had left. They were so young.

A small tear escaped her eye, and she smiled somberly. Yes, this is where she belonged. Home. Her true home. And if Legolas could not find it, then it would be her home until it was time to cross the sea.

"Nessa?" A timid voice asked from behind her.

She turned around slowly, finding no reason for haste any longer, her sister-in-law stood before her, ready to break into tears at any moment. Nessa just nodded slowly, and shrugged, "I am home."

Narie whipped her into arms, "Nessa, you mustn't, go back," she pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper, "This is no longer your home. It is not safe."

Nessa just shook her head, "I know not any other place like this. This is where I was born. And this is where I shall fade, if the Valor so commands it."

"But,"

"I was wrong," Nessa cut in, "I should have never left."

Narie broke her embrace, and backed away from the she-elf slowly, "What has happened to you?" She asked, her eyes full of tears, "Why have you changed so much?"

"I will not run, not anymore."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because this is where I belong, and unless the valor commands otherwise, this is where I shall stay."

Narie just shook her head, "You should go, before your Atar finds you, I beg of you."

Nessa just shook her head again, "Narie, this is my home. This is where I belong. Not Mirkwood. Not Minas Tirth. Here, and here alone."

She looked at the younger she-elf teary eyed, "Please," she whispered, "I beg of you. Go back to Mirkwood, this place is no longer your home. It has changed. It is an evil place now."

Nessa surveyed around herself for a moment, finding nothing much different then the way she had left things. She looked over to the grassy hill, smiling fondly as she watched five older looking elflings climb up the hill, smiling happily.

"They have changed, but everything else is the same," she commented absent-mindedly. "I have changed," she sighed, "And in that change I have decided that I will stop breaking promises, and I intend to see my siblings and my nieces and nephews again. I do not want to miss out any more as they grow up."

"And what of the elves and men you leave behind in Mirkwood? And Minas Tirth? What of your promises to them, as I am sure you have made plenty? Do you intend to follow through on those?" Narie shot at her angrily, "Nessa, you are still as foolish as ever. You held the world in your hand, and the second it received even the smallest of scratches you run away!"

"I am not a fool!" Nessa yelled back at her. "And yes, I did leave behind elves and a child behind in those places, but they are not my family! I was a fool to turn my back on my family." She sighed heavily, and ran her fingers through her dirt covered hazel hair, "After all, blood is thicker then water."

"But water sustains life."

"Blood is life."

"What about the elf that was with you in Rivendell? The Prince of Mirkwood, was he not? What about him? Why have you left him?"

"I do not want to talk about Legolas."

"So it was true, you had fallen in love. And is that why your running? The moment something goes wrong you run, I know you of old, Nessa. I know that is what must have happened."

"Narie! I spent a year in Minas Tirth alone because of that elf! And the one thing that I figured out was that I should be with my family, my true, blood family. This family."

"Nessa," a commanding voice, her Atar's voice, called her.

Nessa tilted her head up, and looked into the eyes of her father. "I know you did not want to see me again, Atar, but I have come back. You were only trying to do what you thought was best for me, and I was foolish to not see that. I have come to beg for your forgiveness."

He cracked a small smiled, "I always knew you would come back, Nessa." She nodded slowly, forcing a faint smile. "And Oropher has known as well. He was waited patiently for three years, and I am sure he will be excited to see his bride again."

"His bride?" She asked slowly, "Oropher?"

"It is what is best for you, do you not agree?"

"I guess," she cracked out, "But I have not seen him in a long time, it would be nice to reacquaint myself with him."

"Of course," he smiled, "And you shall have a lifetime to do that in, as well as the few weeks it will take to prepare for the wedding."

"Weeks?" She said slowly, "Why not wait a little longer? A year, perhaps?"

"No, we have been waiting long enough for this union, and it will take place, Nessa. You said it yourself, I know best. And this marriage is for the best."

Nessa nodded slowly, it seemed fate would have to take a little quicker pace then she had thought.

* * *

_You'd think this would be a whole lot longer then what it was for the amount of time I've been spending on it, huh? lol. But in my defense, I have been writing, then rewriting, then rewriting some more to figure out exactly what I wanted to happen to these characters. Stupid huh? So if something doesn'tmake sense, that's probably left over from bad editing and it'd be great if it was brought to my attention, thanks._

**_Please Review_**


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